Animated indicia by color occlusion



United States Patent C) 3,023,523 ANIMATED INDICIA BY COLOR OCCLUSIONBernard R. Glnkes, North Hollywood, Calif., assignor to Clara Glukes,Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Apr. 4, 1955, Ser. No. 499,045 5 Claims. (Cl.40-132) This invention relates to animated signs and displays,

and particularly to such signs and displays where the animation isobtained by the principle of color exclusion or occlusion.

In my U.S. Patent No. 2,300,447 of November 3, 1942, I disclosed andclaimed an animated sign using the principles of color occlusion toproduce animation. By the use of substantially complementary colors inalternation, each color may be caused to disappear or become colorlessand another color to become visible by comparison. In this patent, Ihave disclosed that the rate of change of the animation may becontrolled and a certain arrangement of the colored indicia will providea particular effect for an observer.

In my co-pending application, Ser. No. 461,317, liled October l1, 1954,now Patent No. 2,863,239, I disclose an improved mechanism for obtainingcolored light alternations and an improved arrangement of the coloredindicia to increase and enhance the animation eiects while reducing anypossible eye fatigue. In this co-pending application, I use three lightsources, one of which includes all the colors, namely, a white lightsource. This source is used in combination with colored segments ornoncolored and/or transparent segments in the indicia of a display orsign. It was found that this combination created a greater illusion ofmotion by obtaining a greater separation of the apparent moving elementsby providing border separation elements between the colored segments ofthe indicia.

The present invention is an improvement over my prior devices byproviding all the above-mentioned advantages thereof while reducing thenumber of light sources required and simultaneously obtaining theenhanced animation effects as disclosed in my co-pending application. Ithas been found that the system disclosed hereinafter provides a sort ofglowing effect similar to fluorescence to the colored indicia which isnot present in the prior systems and a more brilliant white for thewhite indicia than when a source of white light is used. This electprovides a brighter and more brilliant visible sign or display comparedto the prior devices.

The principal object of the invention, therefore, is to facilitate thepresentation of indicia of signs by the principle of color occlusion.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved animated signor display using the principles of color occlusion.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved system ofobtaining animation in a colored sign or display using the minimum ofcolored light sources.

The novel features which are believed -to be characteristic of thisinvention, both as to the manner of its organization and the mode of itsoperation, will be better understood from the following description,when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

The single FIGURE is a diagrammatic view of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the upper part of the figure shows a redlight source 5, and a blue light source 6, positioned behind an indicia,one section 7 of which is red, another section 8 of which is White, anda third section 9 of which is blue. As indicated, the source 6 may alsobe green, since red and green are substantially complementary. A powersupply and commutator 10 may be of the general type shown in myabove-mentioned co-pending application. The indicia may be on anopalescent plate, ground glass plate, or other suitable form of lightdiffuser, the indicia being colored paint, colored Celluloid, glass, orsimilar material which will transmit light. The red and blue or greenlamps may have their glass envelopes painted or dipped in a paint havinga special colored pigment of the same color as the colored indicia, orthey may be fluorescent lamps in which the gas is given the desiredcolor hue.

The indicia, 7, 8, and 9, is shown solely to illustrate the invention,it being understood that this indicia may be in the form of figures orlettering such as disclosed in my co-pending application, the presentinvention being directed to a system which uses only two colored lightsources which will producenot only the same animation provided by theuse of an additional white light source but provides enhanced visibilitywhich appears as a sort of iluorescent light.

The energization rate of the red and blue light sources may becontrolled by unit 10, which may be a cam systern such as described inmy co-pending application, the operation, however, being such that theenergization of the red and blue or green lamps is produced alternatelyand simultaneously; that is, the red lamp will rst be energized, thenthe blue or green lamp, and then both and then the red and blue or greenlamps again.

The animation is obtained as follows: When the red lamp 5 is energized,the light rays therefrom will pass through the red indicia 7 providing abright red color. The red light rays will also pass through the whiteindicia 8 providing a red color of lesser intensity, and when the redlight is impressed on the blue or green indicia 9, this indicia willbecome black. Thus, when the red light is energized, we have a displayhaving a high intensity red color, a low intensity red color, and black.This is the iirst step and is illustrated in panel 1a of the drawing.

Now, when the blue or green lamp is energized, the red indicia 7 willappear black by the principle of light occlusion, the white indicia 9will be blue or green of a certain intensity, and the blue or greenindicia will be a bright blue or green.

Now, when both the red and blue or green lamps are energizedsimultaneously, the result is shown in panel 1c, and in this instancethe red and blue panels appear brighter than when illuminated with onlyone of the colored light sources as shown in panels 1a and 1b, while thewhite panel appears a Whiter white than when a white light source onlyis used, thus providing the three particular indicia shown with red,white, and blue or green in bright, glowing hues, the White beingobtained solely by the combination `of two substantially complementarycolored light sources 5 and 6 without a white light source. As mentionedabove, the colored indicia appear to uoresce while the White indiciaappears brighter than when solely white light is used. Thus, the red andblue or green indicia appear much brighter by contrast with the brightwhite indicia.

Thus, the above invention not only reduces the cost of a sign or displayusing the principle of color occlusion but one which provides a greaterillusion of motion and enhanced color hues of the particular indicia. Asmentioned above, the indicia may be arranged in any desired order toillustrate gures or words as disclosed and patented in myabove-mentioned co-pending application,

I claim:

l. An animated indicia system comprising a pair of substantiallycomplementary colored light sources, means for energizing said sourcesat predetermined mutually exclusive uniform intervals andsimultaneously, and light transmitting indicia illuminated by light fromsaid sources and having substantially complementary colored elements ofthe same colors, as said light sources separated by white lighttransmitting elements, said white light elements transmitting whitelight during the simultaneous energization of said light sources andtransmitting the respective colored light during the alternateenergization of said light sources.

2. A system for obtaining animation by the principle of color occlusioncomprising a pair of colored light sources, the color of said lightsources being substantially complementary, means for energizing saidlight sources during mutually exclusive uniform periods andsimultaneously, a plurality of indicia, some of which are adapted totransmit light of only the color of said light sources and another ofwhich is adapted to transmit light from either and both of said lightsources, the transmission of colored light from both of said lightsources providing White light to produce White areas in said indicia,said white areas transmitting the particular color of light from therespective light source when separately energized, and means forcontrolling the energization of said light sources.

3. A system for obtaining animation in accordance with claim 2, in whichsaid light sources are red and blue or green and said indicia is red,white, and blue or green` 4. A system for obtaining animation inaccordance with claim 2, in which one of said colored indicia occludesthe light from one colored light source and transmits light from saidcolored light source.

5. A system for obtaining animation in accordance with claim 4, in whichthe other of said colored indicia occludes the light from the other ofsaid colored light source-s and transmits light from said other coloredlight source,

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 643,872Hill Feb. 20, 1900 655,264 Nichol Aug. 7, 1900 1,276,494 Craig Aug. 20,1918 1,342,247 Bittinger June 1, 1920 1,348,957 Pope Aug. 10, 19201,357,783 Leachman Nov. 2, 1920 1,374,282 Craig Apr. 12, 1921 2,106,699Best Feb. 1, 1938 2,345,998 Apuzzo Apr. 4, 1944 2,863,239 Glukes Dec. 9,1958

